Domestic violence charges often follow outside parties intervening in an argument or fight. Police officers arrest someone involved in an altercation after a report by someone uninvolved in the situation.
There are many different strategies that can help people accused of domestic violence avoid a conviction. Sometimes, people can prove that they acted in self-defense in a situation that put them at risk of immediate injury.
Others could potentially show that police officers misinterpreted the situation and then arrested the wrong person. Police officers sometimes witness what is known as “reactive abuse.” While it is not an act of self-defense, it is a response to ongoing abuse that may look criminal to uninformed outsiders.
How reactive abuse occurs
Those who have experienced physical and emotional abuse from a family member or intimate partner may start lashing out in response to certain behavior. They recognize conduct as indicative of likely abuse, and they may react aggressively if it puts them in fear for their safety.
Reactive abuse can sound like emotional abuse or may even look like physical abuse if someone throws items, for example. Police officers who are unfamiliar with the dynamics in the household could arrest the wrong person in a reactive abuse scenario because the victim looks like the perpetrator when they arrive.
Changing the narrative surrounding domestic violence charges could help people avoid convictions that could haunt them for years. If police officers misunderstood the situation, an attorney could help the person accused fight back in a manner that protects their reputation and their freedom. The right criminal defense strategy can protect domestic violence defendants from unfair convictions.